Net Appropriation Agreement for Department of Industry Tourism and Resources (02/12/2004)

Administered by Department of Finance

Legislation au F2006B00488 Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT 1997, Section 31

 

NET APPROPRIATION AGREEMENT

 

For INDUSTRY TOURISM AND RESOURCES

 

This Agreement is made between:

THE MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

AND

THE MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY TOURISM AND RESOURCES

 

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1         This net appropriation agreement is made under section 31 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (the FMA Act).

1.2         Under this agreement, if the agency receives any amounts covered by the agreement, the appropriation to the agency in the annual appropriation Act will be increased.

Note 1  Section 31 of the FMA Act, together with certain standard provisions of the annual appropriation Acts, allows a departmental item to be increased by an amount up to the amount of eligible receipts where the Finance Minister (or his or her delegate) and the responsible Minister have entered into a net appropriation agreement.

 

Note 2 This agreement is given effect by specific provisions within the annual appropriation Acts. Therefore, the agreement only has effect while the relevant specific provisions exist in the annual appropriation Acts.

 

1.3.  This agreement will commence on signature by the second party.

 

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1. In this agreement:

2.1.1. 'the agency' means the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources

2.1.2. ‘eligible receipts’ means the receipts set out in clause 5.1 of this agreement.

 

3. PURPOSE

3.1. This net appropriation agreement records the extent to which the amount specified in an item in an annual appropriation Act may be taken to be increased by reference to eligible receipts of the agency.

 

Note:  In most cases the item in the annual appropriation Act will be taken to be increased by the whole amount received by the agency. However, in some cases, the item in the annual appropriation Act will only be taken to be increased by a proportion of the whole amount received by the agency - see clause 6.


4. DURATION OF THE AGREEMENT

4.1. This agreement replaces any previous net appropriation agreement between the Finance Minister and the responsible Minister in respect of any of the appropriation items identified in this agreement.

4.2 This agreement continues until a new net appropriation agreement covering the appropriation item identified in this agreement is executed by both parties to the agreement.

Note: Under s.31 (4) of the FMA Act, the Finance Minister may at any time cancel or vary this agreement, without the consent of the other party.

 

5. NATURE OF ELIGIBLE RECEIPTS

5.1. The following receipts are eligible receipts for the purposes of this agreement:

5.1.1. Receipts from the sale, leasing, hiring out of, or other dealing with goods.

5.1.2. Receipts from the provision of staff and other services.

5.1.3. Receipts from a person (whether employed, appointed, or performing services for, the Commonwealth) as payment for any associated benefit provided (whether to that person or another person).

5.1.4. Receipts from the sale of minor assets that are departmental in nature such as furniture and fittings.

5.1.5. Receipts from the transfer of annual and long-service leave entitlements between agencies.

5.1.6. Subsidy and grant moneys received as a result of participation in employment subsidy schemes or programs.

5.1.7 Receipts from other agencies for the provision of goods and services under a Memorandum of Understanding.

5.1.8 Court awarded costs to the extent to which they reflect legal costs incurred in litigating the matter

5.1.9 Receipts from other Portfolio Agencies for the expenditure incurred on their behalf for the provision of wages, goods, services and accommodation.

5.1.10  Financial incentives to enter into arrangements involving leasing of real property.

 

5.2 For the avoidance of doubt, receipts under item 5.1 do not include:

5.2.1. Court awarded fines and damages, etc (other than to the extent covered by paragraph 5.1.8); and

5.2.2. Receipts from taxes, levies or specific cost recovered activities where the receipts are raised under legislation and where the activities are fully budget funded,

 

Note: User charging activities should comply with the Government’s cost recovery policy as set out in the Commonwealth Cost Recovery Guidelines for Information and Regulatory Agencies.


6. INCREASE IN APPROPRIATION ITEMS

6.1. Subject to the net appropriation provisions of the annual appropriation Acts, the Departmental item for the agency is taken to be increased by the following amounts:

6.1.1. All receipts listed in 5.1, 100% of the receipts.

 

Notes

 1. In order to comply with the appropriation requirements of sections 81 and 83 of the Constitution and with sections 19 and 48 of the FMA Act, agencies must keep proper accounts and records of all appropriations to ensure that they do not spend above their appropriation limits.

 2. The agency must be able to identify, quantify and, if requested, produce information to show the amounts attributable to net appropriation receipts. This information should be available within the agency’s Financial Management Information System or in other supporting systems or documentation.

 3.  The agency must report the net appropriations referred to above, as required, in the relevant Budget documents, agency financial statements and the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 4.  It is the agency’s responsibility to be aware of any changes to reporting requirements which affect net appropriation reporting requirements.

 5.  The Efficiency Dividend will not apply to any amounts deemed to be appropriated under this agreement.

 

 

 

SIGNED............................................    SIGNED................................................

Delegate of the Minister for Finance    Minister for Industry, Tourism

and Administration      and Resources

 

Susan Page      Ian Macfarlane

First Assistant Secretary - Division Manager

Industry, Education & Infrastructure Division

Budget Group

Department of Finance and Administration

 

 

............................................................... ............................................................

Dated  2 December 2004    Dated   4 November 2004

Overview

The Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) provides a framework for the financial management and accountability of Commonwealth agencies. This Act was enacted to ensure that public funds are managed efficiently, economically, effectively, and in accordance with the law. One of its provisions, section 31, facilitates net appropriation agreements between the Minister for Finance and relevant departmental ministers. These agreements allow for the appropriation to a specific agency to be increased by the amount of eligible receipts, thereby enabling more accurate financial tracking and reporting. This agreement was enacted by the Commonwealth Parliament and its policy objective is to ensure transparent and accountable financial management within government agencies, in line with constitutional and statutory requirements. The net appropriation agreement between the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, signed on 2 December 2004, exemplifies this objective by detailing the conditions under which the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources can increase its appropriation based on specific types of receipts, such as sales, services, and subsidies.

Scope and Application

The Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) is a Commonwealth legislation that sets out the framework for financial management and accountability within the Australian government. Section 31 of this Act, which pertains to the Net Appropriation Agreement, applies specifically to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources. This agreement allows for the appropriation to the agency to be increased if it receives any amounts covered by the agreement. Eligible receipts include those from the sale, leasing, hiring out, or dealing with goods, provision of staff and other services, and payments for associated benefits, among others. However, it excludes certain items such as court awarded fines and damages, and receipts from taxes, levies, or specific cost-recovered activities that are fully budget funded. This agreement is effective only while the relevant specific provisions exist in the annual appropriation Acts and can be varied or cancelled by the Finance Minister at any time. It is the agency's responsibility to maintain proper accounts and records of all appropriations and to report any net appropriations as required.

Key Provisions

This net appropriation agreement, under Section 31 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act), is made between the Minister for Finance and Administration and the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources. It stipulates that any amounts received by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (referred to as 'the agency') under the terms of the agreement will result in an increase to the agency’s appropriation in the annual appropriation Act (Section 31(1)). This agreement is effective only while the specific provisions exist within the annual appropriation Acts and takes effect upon signature by the responsible Minister (Section 1.3). The agreement is defined by specific terms, with 'eligible receipts' including proceeds from the sale or leasing of goods, provision of services, and other specified financial transactions (Section 5.1). The agreement will supersede any previous agreements concerning the appropriation items identified within it and will remain in effect until a new agreement is executed by both parties (Section 4.1 and 4.2). The agreement imposes several obligations on the parties involved. The agency must ensure it maintains proper accounts and records of all appropriations, in compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements (Section 6.1, Note 1). It must also be able to identify, quantify, and provide information on the amounts attributable to net appropriation receipts, with this information required to be accessible within the agency’s Financial Management Information System or other relevant documentation (Section 6.1, Note 2). Furthermore, the agency is required to report on the net appropriations as stipulated in the relevant budget documents, financial statements, and consolidated financial statements (Section 6.1, Note 3). The agency must also stay informed about any changes to reporting requirements that affect net appropriation reporting (Section 6.1, Note 4). Additionally, the Efficiency Dividend will not apply to any amounts deemed appropriated under this agreement (Section 6.1, Note 5). Breach of the provisions of this net appropriation agreement could potentially lead to civil or criminal consequences, although specific offences and penalties are not outlined in the agreement. Given the nature of the agreement and the statutory context within which it operates, breaches could potentially attract penalties under the FMA Act or other relevant legislation. These could include financial penalties, administrative sanctions, or legal actions for non-compliance with appropriation and reporting requirements. The exact penalties would depend on the nature and severity of the breach, as well as any applicable provisions in other statutes.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Administrative Law
Instrument
Legislative Instrument
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Commencement Provisions
Repeal & Amendment
Licensing & Registration
Compliance Obligations
Reporting & Disclosure Obligations

Interactions

Authorises

All Versions

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.